Obituary of Michael Rezendes

Michael L. Rezendes, passed away on Monday afternoon from injuries suffered in an motorcycle accident in Maine. He was 42 years old. Mike was the loving husband of Michelle L. (Ryan) Rezendes. He was the proud and loving father of Madison and Matthew. He was the son of John and Maureen (Sullivan) Rezendes of Burlington and brother of John Rezendes of Pelham, NH and Susan Copanos & her husband John of Natick. He was the son-in-law of Walter and Paula Rowe of Revere and brother-in-law of Pamela & Michael Gilman of Billerica. He was the uncle of John Copanos and Jorja Gilman. Mike was also survived by many Aunts, Uncles, cousins and friends. Mike was born in Cambridge. He was raised in Burlington and a member of Burlington High School Class of 1989. Mike started his professional career as an automotive technician at Atamian Honda in Tewksbury. He loved working with his hands and eventually pursued his own business as a General Contractor. He has owned and operated Rezendes Remodeling for the past 12 years. He did all sorts of projects. From bathroom and kitchen remodeling, building additions on homes to installing windows at the Parker School in Billerica. He was even part of a team that constructed and tiled an ornamental fountain and pool at the World Trade Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He took great pride in his workmanship, loved a good challenge, and had scores of clients who appreciated his talent and attention to detail. In addition, he was always there to lend a helping hand and talents to his extended family and many friends. Mike embraced life and shared his passions with his family and countless circles of friends. He loved cruising on his motorcycle with his friends. He was a member of the St. Anthony's Club in Woburn. He played no check hockey on the Four Wins Bears and was a member of the St. Ann's Bowling League. He was also a member of the Hackers Softball team in Burlington. He enjoyed playing sports, but more so loved that these sports kept his many friends together over the years. He loved playing cards and hosted poker nights in his Poker Room (garage) for his friends and neighbors. Mike was very devoted to his family and made projects around his home special with the assistance of his helpers, Madison and Matthew. His children will have memories of construction projects, gardens, mowing the lawn, auto repairs, and numerous other activities spent alongside their Dad. His children will also remember the times together playing video games and family vacations to the Cape and other fun destinations. He was a loving and caring husband to his wife Michelle for the past 15 years. He had a warm and welcoming personality and quickly became a friend to anyone he met. His passing is tragic, but his memory will bring smiles to all those who and knew him. Funeral services will be held at Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., Burlington (exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Saturday, July 20 at 9 a.m. This will be followed by a Funeral Mass at St. Margaret's Church, 111 Winn St., Burlington at 10 a.m. Visiting hours are Friday from 4-8 p.m. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Michael's name may be made to the Mike Rezendes Family Fund, c/o Stoneham Bank 493 Boston, Rd, Billerica, MA 01821. For obituary, directions, & online guestbook, see www.sullivanfuneralhome.net or www.stmargaretburlington.org. Words of remembrance read by Less Sullivan My name is Les Sullivan, Michael’s cousin. On behalf of my family, we’d like to extend our sincere thanks for coming here this morning. We are all sad today, but I would like to take a few moments to reflect on Michael’s life. Michael loved to ride his motorcycle, loved playing sports, but most important of all, Michael loved his family, his beautiful wife, Michelle, and his two beautiful children, Madison and Matthew. He also loved his mother, Maureen, father, Johnny, his old brother John, younger sister Susan, and all his other family members. Michael grew up in Burlington and worked for Honda for many years. He was so proud of his business Rezendes Remodelings. Michael was always nearby and was always there whenever I needed him. Michael loved working with his hands and just like his Dad; the work had to be perfect. I used to ask him how he knew how to repair things, from cars to houses, to anything you could think of. He was the master of all trades. If he didn’t know how to do it, he had the intelligence to figure out how to do it, no matter what the task. He loved his Monday night bowling league with his brother, John. Michael loved his Fantasy Football. And just like he started every season, he took on the name “Slowsky’s.” He had more guys on the injured list than on the active roster year after year. Michael always loved his card games. Poker night at Michael’s house; I think he built his addition just to accommodate the large poker games he used to host. Michelle was always the best hostess, though, whether giving me a blanket to stay on the couch at the end of the night, or not minding me walking out of the house at 6 a.m. Michael also enjoyed playing softball with the Hacker’s on Thursday nights. He played 2nd base, and he could hit a softball wherever he wanted to. He complained about being injured when playing third base when filling in for his older brother John. He went on to earn the name “Skin-so-Soft.” He enjoyed hanging out with the guys after the games and having a few laughs. In 1986 My Uncle Johnny took John and Michael down to Yarmouth to look at the blue prints of a new resort that would later come to be known as The Cove. Johnny needed to pick out the perfect room, in the perfect location, while the contractors were still on scene, in order to host the next 25 plus years of memories. Every year the whole family would go down and set up shop on Rt. 28 in Yarmouth. These are some of my favorite memories. Our days usually consisted of packing up the cars and heading to the beach, or hanging out and taking up half of the outdoor pool. If Johnny thought the afternoon storms were moving in, we would set up shop at the indoor pool instead. In my younger years at The Cove, as day turned to night, I would sit in my parent’s room watching Mike and the gang walk across the parking lot laughing, heading out for their evening festivities wondering where they were going and what they were up to. I would later come to find out why they were so eager to go on their adventure. I always wondered why every morning I would go to Room 182 where everyone seemed a little sluggish and was covered from head to toe with mosquito bites. It’s a wonder The Cove isn’t burned to the ground! As I got older, I was able to walk across that parking lot with them and find out what all the excitement was about. Next thing I knew, I started waking up a little sluggish, covered from head to toe in mosquito bites! Whether we stayed in at The Cove, hit Rt. 28, or headed down to Main Street in Hyannis, we would always end up after hours in The Cove’s parking lot; from playing wiffle ball, to hanging around the trucks to listening to music killing our truck batteries, to playing quarters on the curb, to debating about whether or not to get breakfast at Heavenly’s before going into bed, when we are supposedly leaving for the beach comber at 9:00 a.m. From peaches to pineapples, our most memorable prank would be delivering pineapples throughout The Cove for a whole week. I think the staff thought we were crazy. Wilson…was the most famous of the pineapples. To this day, nobody knows where those pineapples came from. You always had to be careful when you opened your door in the morning, went to your car, or peeked onto your deck. Whether passing each other in the aisles at Luke’s, waiting hours to get a seat at the Frontier, or the colossal ramp to the beach at the Beachcomber, the Cape was one of our most cherished memories. Michael was a great role model for his children. He loved his wife. He was always there whenever anyone needed help with something, no matter what it was. If he could help you, he would. Michael also had a great group of friends. Many of whom I see here today. After looking at all the pictures of Michael these last couple of days, I now know where I get my good looks from. From Mill Street, to the Terrace, Davida Road, Honey Lane, Saugus, Derry, Billerica, 182, 315, Club Copanos, or wherever we ended up, we always enjoyed the company of each other. Michael, I Love you like a brother. There will always be room at Mozz’s at the kids table for you! We Love You Pal!